Through Fire and Tears
by Wings of Stars
Summary: Kenshin and the gang walk through a hole in time to the future. . . *finished*
1. The Tear in the Sky

A/n: hey, I've been on Fanfiction.net for two years now, so I thought I'd write something. And considering I haven't written anything Kenshin, and this was just an idea that popped into my head, here you go! As a disclaimer, I do not own Kenshin nor any characters in the show. . . yadda, yadda, I only own the fluff-balls in my head. Reviews are nice **hint, hint**

* * * * *

She looked up at the sky, sitting on the porch of the dojo. Lazy raindrops fell almost reluctantly, but they were still falling and that still made her a little unhappy. Especially considering she'd wanted to go on a picnic with everyone; but that picnic would just have to wait.

"Kaoru-dono, what's the matter?" her oblivious red-haired prince charming asked, emerging from the kitchen. She sighed deeply and tried to smile.

"Nothing," she said, and it was truthful. For rain isn't much in the way of being wrong, just a ruiner of plans. He looked at her doubtfully and smiled. 

"We don't have to stay in, you know. We could visit Tae-dono, I was going to get tofu anyway," he said. She knew he was lying, but appreciated his effort. 

"I guess we could. Let's get Sano and Yahiko. . . ." just as the sentence had escaped her lips, they appeared with looks on their faces that said 'Akabeko or bust!'. She smiled helplessly at the boys, hopeless as they were.

Kaoru grabbed her umbrella and they started their walk. It wasn't long before Megumi joined them, and ducked under Kaoru's umbrella. 

"Aha! The fox doctor joins us again. . ." Sano commented sarcastically. He glanced at her sideways and have her a half-smile.

'It really is hopeless, that idiot will never get any smarter,' she thought, although she knew that she would never think it was hopeless. 

"Hey Kenshin, what's that?" Yahiko asked, pointing at what looked like a rip in the air. Kenshin tilted his head to the side, his wet hair sticking to his eyes, making it hard to see. They all walked closer and Yahiko even circled it. "I wonder what will happen if. . ." he stuck his hand out to touch and disappeared completely. Kaoru ran worriedly after him, and disappeared as well.

Kenshin casually walked in after Kaoru, secretly mulling over thoughts of wonder such as 'will we end up in the same place. . .'

"I guess I need to go look after Kenshin, you know what kind of trouble he can get himself into. . ." although Sano knew that Kenshin could take care of himself, and he didn't have to make excuses for Sano.

"I guess I need to go look after you, chicken head. . ." she said, although she knew that Sano was a big boy, but she wanted an excuse to go.

They both walked through casually, and the tear seemed to close perfectly behind Megumi. What they saw on the otherside was completely shocking, and only Megumi had wits enough to recover. There were loud noises and tall building and neon lights. It was raining here as well, but Kaoru had dropped her umbrella and was standing on hard ground looking around her as though she had just been shoved into an entirely different world where black was white, and white was black. And that's exactly how it felt.


	2. Sick/Dizzy

A/N: You know the disclaimer, etc. **yawn** I hope this doesn't sound as stupid to you as it sounds to me. Reviews are lovely *hint, hint*

* * * * *

Megumi led them all into what looked like a store. It had clothes and large glass windows and swinging doors that were all very alien to them. Kenshin had to walk very close to Kaoru for fear that she would faint. She looked pale and weak and was in the most shock. People paid them very little attention, except for a few who would give them funny looks when they walked past. Megumi walked up to the counter and asked the nice man what day it was, and he replied with the correct date. She looked at the calender, though, and was suprised to see the year as a very large number. Over 2000 in fact. She felt as dizzy as Kaoru looked, and turned around to explain the whole situation to them. At that moment Yahiko ran back into the store. No one had even noticed he was gone.

"You guys, look what I found on the ground outside," he said, holding up a wallet with a large amount of money in it. "I went to return it, honest, but there was no one looking and no way to find the guy."

Kenshin looked at the amount of money in it, and felt doubly dizzy with the weight of everything. Especially as Megumi told him what year it was. At this point, Kaoru did faint, and Kenshin caught her and picked her up gently. "Let's buy some clothes later, we need to fit in. But first, let's find a place for Kaoru-dono."

They walked down the busy street and found a hotel, and figured out the whole idea of electric card keys after paying. Sano and Yahiko tried the card key thing several times before they actually came in and sat down. Megumi immediately handed Sano some money.

"Go find yourselves and Kenshin some clothes. . . he needs to stay here with Kaoru. She's still very confused. I will go find some clothes for myself and her. Go, now!"

Several hours later, Megumi returned to the hotel room to find Kaoru lying on the floor, and Kenshin sitting on the bed, looking down at her. Megumi set the bags in her hands down the other bed and looked at Kenshin questioningly.

"I told her not to lay down there, Megumi-dono. But she said it was too high on the bed, and laid on the floor instead." She nodded and smiled. Kaoru flicked her eyes open. She still looked frighteningly pale, and as she saw Megumi wearing pants she went paler. "Megumi-san, what are you wearing?"

Megumi looked down at her tanktop and jeans and blushed at the fact that she was showing so much skin without realizing how shocking it would be. "This is what they wear here. But don't worry, I didn't think you'd be ready for them, so I picked you out some skirts. I don't know how this is ever going to work. . . ." She sighed deeply, and sat at the foot of the bed not occupied by Kenshin. At this point, Yahiko and Sano burst into the room, wearing some of the most ridiculous things they had ever seen. However, they did blend well.

Yahiko was wearing shorts that went just below his knee, with an oversized white t-shirt and red vest. Sano was wearing khaki pants with fifty too many pockets, accompanied by a white tank-top thingy that ALL guys seem to wear, and a tropical-patterned button-down shirt that he wore open. Both were wearing blue skate shoes.

Kenshin looked them over and swallowed hard, wondering what was in store for him. But Kaoru still looked sick and hungry, so they decided to leave the new looks for the next day, when perhaps both were feeling a little better. 


	3. Close to You -- So far Away Inside

A/n: Yeah, yeah, I know my chapters are short. At least I'm getting them up fast, tho. So, yeah. Anyways, I only own the fluff-balls in my head and now I own MULAN!! Yes! I love that movie. . . anyways. . . On with the story.

* * * * *

Kenshin woke up later in the morning than was characteristically him. Sano and Yahiko were still asleep, lying sprawled on floor by the window. The blankets between the two beds, where Kaoru had slept, were folded and her pillow was set neatly on top of them. He absently grazed his fingers over the pillow while he wondered where the girls had gone. He didn't have to wonder, though, as he discovered a note on the night stand. It basically said they'd gone to get their hair done, and that he should do the same. There was some money and an address. It also said to meet them at the large park around lunch time. Kenshin sat up and looked in the mirror. . . he refused to do anything with his hair.

Presently, Yahiko violently rolled over and punched Sano in the stomach. Sano violently rolled over and punched back. Yahiko screamed and began pulling at Sano's hair. Kenshin smiled. . . it was going to be a long and interesting day.

He looked at the pile of clothes on the dresser that were his, and picked up the ones Sano instructed him would look good together before heading to the bathroom to figure out this whole *looking cool* thing. Well, that's what Sano called it, anyway.

Three hours later, after arguing with Sano and Yahiko about his hair and carrying his sakaba around, all three guys walked into the park. Kenshin felt ridiculous. They'd allowed him to keep his hair long, but they'd decided ((forcefully)) against the sakaba. He was wearing khaki pants sort of like the ones Sano had been wearing the day before, with a white tank top and a blue button shirt that he left open at Sano's instruction. At least with the sunglasses pushed back on top of his head, he didn't feel so out of place. 

It was just as he was thinking about how dumb the whole idea of fitting in was, that he saw Kaoru. She was sitting on the side of the most beautiful fountain in the middle of the park, with her feet resting on the back of a bench that Megumi was seated on. Kenshin almost fell over backward at the sight of her. Her bangs were softly curled, and less chaotic than he was used to. Her hair was up, but in a clip that made her hair seem like there was more of it, the ends all curled. She was wearing make-up. Not much, but enough that Kenshin could tell there was something different. 

The boys walked over and joined Megumi on the bench, who looked completely accustomed to this whole modern idea. She totally looked and acted the part. She looked so casual, sitting with the book on her lap, whereas Kaoru looked fidgety. 

Kaoru blushed as Kenshin sat by her feet, feeling very vulnerable indeed. 

"Kaoru-dono?" he asked, worried that she wasn't feeling well.

"I just. . . I feel so bare. . ." she admitted feebly. He could kind of understand why. She was wearing a red plaid skirt, the hem of which hit barely above the knee. She also wore a thickly-strapped black tank top, socks that went almost up to her knees, and shoes that had platforms. Kenshin suspected he would not like to walk in shoes like those. 

The outfit was also a good deal tighter than she was used to, and she bent her head in an effort to cover the blush on her face with her book. Megumi and the other two were already arguing about what they should do from here. Kenshin looked up into her face and held her eyes. 

"Sessha thinks you look very pretty, Kaoru-dono," he said softly, and her blush only deepened. She smiled a little and hopped down from the fountain, feeling very young indeed under his gaze. Very young, but very pretty as well. She was about to open her mouth to say that she thought he looked. .. Well, she hadn't figured out the word yet. Seeing as how 'sexy' wasn't a word she was used to. But she was interrupted by Megumi standing up intimidating-ly (although she was still much shorter than Sano) and stomping her foot. 

"Fine, then! We'll just spend the afternoon doing absolutely nothing!" She looked indignant and handed some money to Sano and Yahiko who ran off almost immediately. She took a tiny portion of the money herself, and said she was going to get a good book and a manicure, and handed the rest over to Kenshin who looked shyly at Kaoru, who blushed.

He smiled. "Let's see what they do for fun, here. What do you think, Kaoru-dono?"

She smiled back, "Okay."

*****

Later that evening, around eight or nine o'clock, Kenshin and Kaoru found their way back to the hotel. But only after they had eaten the most interesting thing they'd ever tasted, it was referred to as "fast food". They had also gone to an arcade and played video games. Although it had taken them about a half hour to learn how to start the game, and then another half hour to learn to properly play. But it was so addictive, although it was just a tiny click of a button. They also wandered around the park, talking, and eating various types of silly-looking snacks. Just after dinner, it had begun to rain. Again. The rain seemed to follow wherever they were, whichever world. But at least they had gotten their walk finished, and dinner outside as well.

They were both soaking wet as they stepped into the hotel room. Kaoru headed straight for the bath, and Kenshin thought it would be safe to change into his pajamas. Well, they were the closest thing he had to his regular clothes, although they were a little odd. As he put his shirt on, he saw a note on the table under where his shirt had been.

"Kaoru-dono!" he yelled just loud enough for her to hear. She poked her head out of the bathroom, and he saw that she had finally figured out how to get the mascara off of her cheeks. He almost forgot the point of calling her out. He coughed.

"Err. . . I just found this note. . . I don't know who it's from, but it says that Megumi, Sano, and Yahiko have been. Well, kid-napped. But we can't do anything till tomorrow afternoon." His expression was dark, and she thought she may have suspected a glint of amber color in his eyes. There was somewhat of an uncomfortable pause, Kaoru felt too hopeless to speak. 

"And what will we be able to do tomorrow afternoon?" she asked quietly.

"Whoever it is, they'll meet me outside the city. According to the note, they're the reason we're here. I am ready to fight, Kaoru-dono." He was apparently trying to reassure her, but it didn't seem to be working so well. The rain outside made it even more tense and saddening and dark than it normally would have been.

He saw her eyes fill with tears. "Okay," she said shakily and closed the bathroom door. She immediately turned the shower on, but it didn't cover the sound of her sobs. He hated to think that she was closing him out, but he couldn't help feeling that the distance between them was more than just the bathroom door.


	4. Only A Whisper Away

A/n: Yeah, yeah. I don't own anything except for the fluff balls in my head, my MULAN movie, and. . .err. . . my sparkly socks. So, yeah, don't sue me!

* * * * * *

He didn't know what to say to her, so he didn't say anything. Her mind was so focused on everything that was going wrong, mainly Megumi, Sano, and Yahiko, that she didn't even seem to mind the pajamas that had made her feel so bare the night before. She didn't even sleep on the floor. She just laid down on the bed closer to the door and cried, pretending to be asleep. 

Kenshin knew she wasn't asleep, but turned out the light anyway. 'Sometimes,' he thought, 'maybe she just needs to cry.' He still didn't feel anywhere close to figuring her out. 'Kaoru. . . I want to be. . . no use wishing.'

He sighed audibly and laid back in the other bed heavily. "I will never understand you. . ." he said so quietly that he wasn't sure if he had said it aloud or not. He got out of bed one last time to check the locks on the windows and doors. Megumi, Sano, and Yahiko were gone, and that did hurt, but whoever it was that was doing this. . . they weren't going to get Kaoru as well.

She laid in the dark, quietly breathing, but not anywhere close to sleeping. What was it that Kenshin had said after checking the locks? 

'Not worth guessing. Nothing ever is,' she thought hopelessly. But the fact that he'd gotten up and checked the locks meant more to her than she could really say. It made her kind of hope that he didn't want to let her go. She stared at the strange ceiling for some while longer before falling into a restless sleep.

Silent moonlight crept under the curtains, creating a stir of emotions in Kenshin. Maybe it was just the feel of this place, but he wished he could be nearer to her. As soon as he was sure she was asleep, he walked over to her bedside and just looked at her for a moment. He picked up her legs oh-so-gently and slid her under the covers. He had thoughts about kissing her, but thought better of it and touched her cheek gently instead. He laid awake, not wanting to close his eyes. But sleep came, although he was half awake. If Kaoru screamed, or probably even whispered, he'd be awake. He wouldn't let her go so easily.

* * * *

Kaoru sat bolt upright in bed to discover covers falling away from her. She'd fallen asleep on top of the covers, she was sure. But she looked down at her feet and guessed that Kenshin had tucked her into bed. The thought of him calmed her after the terrible nightmare she'd just had. She was terrified beyond words, still. Especially because the fear of Kenshin leaving her had just gripped itself over her even tighter. When she had cried in the shower, she was scared. What if that delicate balance between Rurouni and Hitokiri tipped violently towards Hitokiri for a while? Then it would lead to a collapse of her entire dream in life when it bounced over to Rurouni again, and he'd leave her forever. She tried not to think about it.

The room was dark, but there was just enough light from under and above the curtains that she could see outlines of everything in fervent detail. But her eyes were caught on him again. Lying so peaceful. He had such a worn and worried look on his face, even in sleep, but under it was a tone of hope. The kind of hope she could have used right then. Without realizing it, she stepped onto the floor and sat on the edge of his bed, looking down at him. 

"Kenshin," she whispered. The sound of his name, even on her lips made her feel a little better. His eyes flicked open, but she didn't see because she was reprimanding herself for being so sentimental. He pretended to still be asleep, although he was curious to know what she was doing. 

He wasn't as good a pretender as she was, but she couldn't read thoughts and actions as well as he could. So she believed he was still asleep. 

She laid down next to him as gently as she could, and held her breath to listen to the sound of his breathing and his heart. She lay there peacefully for a while, wondering how she could feel so far away from someone who was always so near her. He moved, and she was about to stand or at least sit up when she felt arms around her waist. He had rolled over and now she was trapped. She was thinking about how to stand up without waking him when he whispered in her ear.

"Kaoru, what are you doing up so late?"

She glanced at the clock's bold numbers (3:11) before realizing something. She thought it might have been simply because he was still half asleep that he had left the 'dono' off of her name. But it wasn't there, and the thought of her name and just her name coming from his mouth made her smile. But she didn't have an answer to his question but the truth. And she knew "nothing" wouldn't cut it, this time.

"I'm scared, Kenshin," she said quietly. The sentence was so brutally honest that it brought tears to her eyes. But she turned her head to look at him anyway. As she was lying on her side, this was difficult, but she could almost see him. He leaned up a little to look into her eyes. 

"I will do everything I can to get them back," he said. His face looked honest and determined, and she knew he didn't understand what she meant. But she was so scared to say the truth of the matter.

"No, it's not that. I'm scared for you."

"I can take care of myself, Kaoru."

This was so frustrating. He had his arms around her, but it didn't seem that he understood what that meant to her. She touched his hands, and tried to find the words to say. But she couldn't find anything to say.

"I won't leave you. Don't be scared about that. I would never leave you," he said quietly. It had taken him as much courage as he had left to say that. That and he felt kind of selfish saying it. 

She started crying freely now, and it left him to wonder if he'd said the wrong thing. She rolled over to face him, trying hard not to cry even more. "Promise?"

He smiled and pulled her closer to him. "I promise. I couldn't leave you if I tried. You are half of me," he whispered. She looked up him, and he kissed her forehead before adding, "my better half." 

Her grip tightened on his bare shoulders, and she became increasingly aware of how close they were, and how little she had on. But didn't feel so vulnerable anymore, even in her tank top and flannel pants. She just felt close to him. He held her eyes, and she was tempted to look away, but didn't. 

"I love you." He barely breathed the words before kissing her. As soon as she finally realized what everything meant, she kissed him, too. All of the sudden he pulled his lips away.

"Gomenasai, Kaoru, it wasn't supposed to happen like that," he was blushing feverishly, wondering if he'd been too quick, too sudden, if perhaps she didn't feel the same way.

"Kenshin, I love you, too," even with the certain knowledge of his love, she felt childish. But she had a certain insane courage now. "And I thought it happened just fine. . ." she added quietly. 

He smiled and kissed her, wiping the childish feeling away as it was replaced by one of electricity that ran from the top of her head all the way into her toes. Neither was sure how long they kissed for, or laid up to listen to the sound of the other's breathing. She wasn't sure if things would ever change, especially her feelings of being so small. He wasn't sure if things would ever be the same. But both were completely contented to lie there in each other's arms in an entangled mass of love and assurance. And they didn't feel so far away from each other any more. 


	5. Priorities and Fears

A/N: Disclaimer is as follows: I OWN NOTHING!!! Nothing, I tell you. Nothing. I have just converted to environmentalism and I live my life as a hippie, relying on the land and the land alone. Err. . . okay, so maybe I own some things, but I don't own Kenshin. And stuff.

* * * * *

She awoke feeling unusually comfortable and warm. There was something about today that made her want to say, "Just fifteen more minutes, then I'll wake up. . . promise." Then it hit her, and she remembered everything that had happened the night before. She opened one of her eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

Those were really his arms around her, pulling her close. He was smiling at her, as she looked up at him, still resting her head against his chest. She moved one of her hands up and played with his loose hair, smiling back. 

"How long have you been awake?" Kaoru asked quietly, smiling shyly but feeling more at peace than she ever really had before. Even in the strangeness of a hotel bed, so far from home without anyone but him, she felt perfect.

"About an hour, I think," he whispered, running one of his hands up her back to play with her hair, too. She felt strange but lovely, entangled with him. 

"An hour? You could have gotten up and taken a shower or something, I wouldn't have minded," she said quietly, but silently thanked him for staying till she woke up. The curtains were closed, and the light blue of the material seemed to illuminate. Everything in the room had a strange dim blue glow, but she could see the perfect violet color of his eyes. The eyes she loved.

"I would have minded. I don't want to be any further from you than this," he leaned his head all the way down to kiss her softly and she smiled. "Besides, I'm always afraid for you. I don't want to let anyone have their chance at you."

There was a silent tone that said, "You're mine, just mine, and I'm not sharing." She loved him with all her heart, and didn't know how to feel other than contented at that moment. She rolled over onto her back for a second to look at the clock. 10:00 already? She wanted to just lie there for an eternity, although that may not have been long enough, still.

She sat up and looked at him, still lying there peacefully smiling up at her. "I love you, Kenshin," she said quietly. She took in the whole picture of him just lying there in his shirtless, loose-haired perfection. She wanted to kiss him but she was always characteristically shy, and just laid back down next to him instead.

"If there weren't things to do, I'd lay here all day with you, Kaoru," he said, still staring at the ceiling. He must have been reading her thoughts, because he sat up and leaned over her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he slowly leaned down to kiss her. It was a simple kiss at first, growing more passionate every second, but somewhere they both found the control to keep it at that, a kiss. Or perhaps it was the fear that something bad was happening to their friends while they laid in bed, rediscovering the world together.

They pulled away and looked at each other understandingly, before reluctantly crawling out of bed and walking over to the dresser. Kenshin shyly looked over at the pile of clothes Kaoru was looking through.

"Wear the blue skirt, Kaoru. Blue looks nice on you," he smiled a little as she grabbed the skirt and simply matched colors. Had he known that she had absolutely no idea which clothes were hers? As she dressed in the bathroom, he dressed just outside the door, listening to her frustrated sounds as she almost fell over, trying to get dressed. Apparently it was completely different from a kimono. Although it wasn't paradise dressing himself. The whole button idea was really dumb, he thought as he fought with the button on his jeans. He got it done up just as Kaoru opened the bathroom door. She smiled at him, because he was wearing no shirt and apparently just figuring out the whole jeans idea. 

He threw a t-shirt over his head quickly before looking at her. Her blue skirt was the same length as the plaid one, and had a darker blue hem and pockets on the sides. She wore a white tank top and light blue vest with it, and white socks up to her knees that had two horizontal blue stripes at the top. She blushed slightly.

He smiled at her, before grabbing one of the funny bags that Megumi had bought and putting everyone's clothes in it. He hung it on his back, and they went to the front desk to check out.

"Kenshin, are you really ready to do this? What if we can't get home again?"

"Don't worry, I will do everything I can. And if we can't get home, then we will live here. Together."


	6. Not Without You

A/N: Whatever.

* * * * *

They walked in relative silence, Kenshin munching quietly on a blueberry muffin, but Kaoru was too nervous to eat anything. So she kept her head down, and her hands swung softly by her sides. He looked at her, almost not daring to take his eyes off of her. Presently, he finished his muffin and felt almost like he couldn't keep it down. It was so scary for Kaoru, so it was scary for him.

He slipped his hand around hers so gently that she didn't feel it at first. When she did finally begin to feel it, her eyes welled up with tears and she spoke quietly.

"I wish you didn't have to. . ."

"But I do have to. And I'll be fine," he squeezed her hand a little to let her know that he was being honest. They'd slept in so long that they would get out of town just barely on time. She didn't know how she had ever felt so gorgeous the night before, when she felt so lost now. Under the warm sun and shade of rows of trees hidden behind fences, she felt it was a hideous day. Even though it looked so beautiful.

"But, he got us here, what else could he do?" she sighed and gritted her teeth in frustration. He didn't see it like she did. He didn't worry like she did. She squeezed his hand a little to let him know how worried she was.

"I can take care of myself. It's you that you should be worried about. This is the place, all we can do is wait." They arrived in a very small park that looked more like a dark backyard with a few benches. It didn't seem a very popular place. Kaoru decided to sit down, but Kenshin followed, not letting go of her hand, setting his bag down.

Shy tears fell down her face as she sat, and Kenshin took her face in his hands, wiping them away. He turned her face upward toward him and stroked her cheek with his thumb. He then left her quickly, without warning, and drew his sword our of his book bag sitting on the ground, standing protectively in front of her.

"Touch me," he said quietly to her, and she knew why. She stood up and placed her hand gently on his shoulder, close to his neck. Her hand felt so girly and weak there on his shoulder, but he glanced at it once with some unreadable emotion on his face that she knew had to be love. 

Weak and tired-looking, Yahiko, Sano, and Megumi walked forward out of the shadows. Behind them was a tall, powerful-looking man with black hair and glowing eyes. His posture was calm, relaxed even, and the sword in his hand was long, dull, and beginning to chip from overuse.

"Just as I thought. . . you're here," his voice was low and somewhat frightening. Kenshin wasn't afraid, but his eyes looked as though they were glinting with specks of amber. He was ready to fight.

Megumi, Sano, and Yahiko walked quietly to the fence at the edge of the park, and Kenshin motioned for Kaoru to do the same. She had barely taken three steps away from him when the two leapt at each other with crazy speed. Kaoru heard the clash of swords and the battle cries, but didn't look behind her. 

They ran and hit, ran again, hit again. It was a crazy dance of passion, anger, strength, brutality. . . Kenshin caught the unknown villain at a weak spot, hitting him in the back.

"What's your name?" Kenshin demanded, the anger inside getting the better of his voice.

"My name is Tenma," he said darkly, and the dance began again. Kaoru bent her head low trying not to listen to the sounds enveloping her. 

It seemed unlikely that Kenshin could hold on much longer, for all that he was panting. He had tiny cuts all over his body, and his Sakaba wasn't doing that much against Tenma. He looked so worn.

Then it happened, one miss of Kenshin's blade and Tenma's own sword was pointed, almost touching is throat. 

"You have one wish, then we'll start again," Tenma wanted to take his time and energy on Kenshin. He was beginning to feel tired as well, but he wanted to lengthen it for as long as possible.

"Let them go home. I will fight you better when they aren't here."

Kaoru's heart stopped beating for a moment, then tears came fresh. Without her, what if no one could stop him from turning Hitokiri? She didn't know how to cope.

With one hand, Tenma threw some kind of powder into the air, chanting in an undertone. Presently there opened a portal, a tear in the sky, in space, like the one that had brought them there. Sano, Yahiko, and Megumi said their good lucks and walked reluctantly, but Kaoru stood there, not wanting to move.

"Kenshin, I can't leave you! What if. . .?" her voice went quiet, and tears fell harder down her face.

Kenshin felt his heart tearing into tiny pieces, he was once again the cause for her tears. "You have to go, Kaoru. And I'll never leave you. My feet know the way home."

She picked up his book bag and left without another word, and he was left there to start the madness again. He just hoped he'd have enough control to keep his promise to Kaoru.

* * * * * *

In their own time, their own Tokyo, it was raining. No one seemed to be out, and they made a mad run to the dojo, hoping no one would see them in their crazy clothes. Sano stayed close to Kaoru, he could tell it was deeper than they thought.

Later that night as Kaoru went off to bed, Megumi and Sano stayed up. "What do you think happened?" Sano asked.

"Kenshin's not like you. Nothing bad. I just think she's worried is all."

"That's not what I meant. She just seems so terrible. Don't tell her I said that."

"Maybe it is deeper."

  
  



	7. Home [back to where you are]

A/N: I don't own anything but the fuzzy slippers in my closet, the cobwebs in my head, etc. Please note that this list does NOT include Kenshin and the characters from Kenshin. Because I don't own them, even though it would be just fine with me if I did. But I don't, so don't sue me. 

* * * * *

Hours and hours and hours, a never-ending night of swords clashing together in their mad fascinating attraction. Both were weary, and Kenshin seemed to be at the wrong end of the tiring thread. He felt his skin as though he was being overstretched, and his control seemed to be crawling away.

Right at that crucial moment when the Hitokiri was about to burst freely out of his skin, Kenshin made a move at Tenma's weakened left side, breaking his ribs and sending him to his knees. 

"Let me go home," Kenshin demanded, holding Tenma's hair, and threatening to break his neck. "By whatever cursed magic you have, let me go home, and you stay here!"

Tenma obeyed reluctantly, opening another tear in time. But if looks could kill, Kenshin would have been dead. Tenma looked half-spent, but over-crazy and brimming with hatred as the night of fighting was drawing to a close. The two breathless men stared at each other a while before Kenshin turned to walk coldly.

As Kenshin walked away, Tenma swung at him, but Kenshin turned and hit his hands, paralyzing them both as he'd had to do once before. 

"Stop working your evil," he said coldly, and stepped through the tear without another backwards glance. Tenma just laid on the ground in his defeat. He'd brought the legendary Hitokiri to fight, to see if what the past held could defeat the future. He took a dagger from his shoe and stabbed himself. It would have been better to just not begin. He'd sold his soul to the devil for black magic, only to be defeated.

* * * *

Kenshin stepped into the night of his own Tokyo. It was crisp, cool, and clear, but the air couldn't heal him. He limped steadily back towards the dojo, hoping he could go to bed without waking anyone. He was a mess, after fighting for so long. He couldn't stand straight or walk properly because his ribs were bruised, and his arms were weak. But he walked with a determination, looking forward to changing back into his hakama and gi and falling asleep at home. Because home to him was wherever Kaoru was.

As he entered the dojo walls, he saw his clothes hanging with the rest of the laundry, and he could see Kaoru working so hard in his mind. He took a very quick, very cold bath and changed before heading to his own room. He looked into Yahiko's room first, and smiled at the stubborn expression on his face. Next he looked in Kaoru's room and almost fainted not to see her there. There was one more place to check, but what would she be doing there?

He opened the sliding door to his own room and just looked at her. For a short moment he thought he understood her, but maybe he didn't. She was sleeping in his bed, with his covers over her. The nasty part of himself thought that he'd like that more often, but the sweet part of him said it was all up to her. He didn't want to wake her, so he quietly laid down next to her and put his arms around her like they had been in the hotel room.

She stirred a little, and sighed. He watched as her eyes flickered shyly open and looked around her. Then they filled with tears as she saw him. 

"Kenshin. . ." her hand went up to his cheek as she rolled over to face him. She touched his face, his hair, his neck, his chest, his arms as if to make sure that she wasn't dreaming.

"I told you I'd come home to you," he whispered, pulling her close to him. She ran her fingers through his hair and cried, burying her face in his chest. He sucked in air hard through his teeth as though something hurt, but said nothing. Kaoru sat up and looked at him concernedly, but he just smiled back, and didn't move. She opened the neck of his gi to reveal large, dark bruises all over his chest and sides. 

"Kenshin. .. I. . ." He gave her a look to silence her.

"I'm home now, and I'll get better. Bruises don't last forever," he said and touched her face. She laid back down next to him and gently nestled up to him. She smiled at the smell of him, and just being there. He put his arms around her back and pulled her closer, kissing her forehead.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked quietly and concernedly, looking up at him again. The look on her face was a mixture of two that she had worn for him many times over. The look of being concerned, and the look of soft reassurance that he was home to her. 

He kissed her quickly and smiled at her. "As long as I can sleep with you in my arms, nothing can be wrong." 

She closed her eyes again and whispered, "I love you, Kenshin."

Right as he was falling into sleep in the comfort of the moment, he replied with a soft "I love you, too, Kaoru."

* * * * *

The next morning, Megumi and Sano had been out for a walk and were returning when they noticed Kenshin's clothes gone. They had the same thought and headed quietly for his room. As they opened the door they were shocked to see Kaoru and Kenshin entangled so closely together. Megumi looked sympathetically at the wounds. They weren't cuts, just bruises. Tenma had just been playing, and it had apparently almost taken Kenshin away from them for good. She was angry and sad at the same time, but just closed the door and let them sleep despite instincts that told her to do otherwise.

"So I guess it was a lot deeper," Megumi whispered as they began walking away.

"Things usually are," Sano said just as gently, touching Megumi's hand just slightly. "Let's go on another walk, give them their space."

Megumi smiled slightly at him and knew what he really meant. "You don't have to make excuses for me," she said as they walked away into the morning. 


End file.
